The Periodicals List is an information gathering tool, and like any tool, there's a right time to use it and a wrong time. Just as you wouldn't cut a length of board with a hammer (you'd first use the saw to cut it and then use a hammer to nail it down), the same goes for using the Periodicals List. If you use it at the right time, it will be very helpful. But if you use it at the wrong time, it won't give you the information you need.

It might be easier to start by discussing when not to use the Periodials List, because this is the single most common mistake students make when trying to find something in the Meriam Library.

Do not use the Periodicals List when you are looking for articles on particular topics using keywords or subjects. Remember, the Periodicals List is simply an A-Z list of all the periodicals owned by the Meriam Library. It is not a listing of individual articles within those periodicals. When you want to search for articles by subject, keyword, topics, etc. the correct tool to use is a Periodical Index or Database (see previous ChicoRIO module).

This information bears repeating:  You cannot search the Periodicals List by subject!

Use the Periodicals List after you have identified a particular article you are interested in reading, or, when you want to browse an entire issue of a particular magazine, journal, or newspaper.

Most often, you will have a citation to one particular article you want to read. Once you have a citation (which includes the name of the periodical), you can search the Periodicals List.

The next ChicoRIO module will show you how to search the Periodicals List.